


A Helluva First Date

by BookPirate



Series: Providence of the Valentine-Redfields [2]
Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse), Resident Evil - All Media Types
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, because I say so
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2020-05-13 10:36:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19249462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BookPirate/pseuds/BookPirate
Summary: Claire and Leon have a conversation about feelings. Claire thinks it's about time. Leon's not so sure.Technically a sequel to my "just be careful" fic, but you don't have to read that one first.





	A Helluva First Date

**Author's Note:**

> I recently played the RE2 remake and ho boy. I had some thoughts and feelings.

Claire has to hand it to Chris and Jill, they sure know how to put on a party. She'd offered her help but they'd said they got it. She's never gonna doubt them again.

"I guess they must've been up late last night." Moira grins. "This place looks amazing."

The bar has been strung up with lights, casting a warm glow across the room. The white gauzy hangings look almost angelic, and perfectly sets up the kind of happy atmosphere the occasion calls for. There's also a table full of food and sweets along the wall opposite the bar, just waiting to be eaten. The final touch is the dance floor that's been set up at one end of the room, with a band tuning up next to it. 

Claire squints at the band. "Is that Parker?"

"Yeah." Her brother's voice has her turning around with a grin. Chris is smiling ear to ear, Jill's hand tightly in his. "I was shocked as hell when he asked if we had a band yet."

"Are they any good?"

Jill laughs, looking somehow more radiant in her white dress now than she did at the courthouse. "We don't know."

"That seems like a risk to take," Moira says, surprised.

"We trust him." Chris shrugs, still smiling. Claire suspects he might not ever stop.

"Alright, time to shine, kids." Barry walks up, clapping Chris's shoulder. He's been tearing up all day, and Claire and Moira have a bet going for when he's going to finally crack and cry.

"Ready, Mrs. Redfield?" Chris asks Jill.

"I think a better question is are  _you_ ready, Mr. Valentine?"

Claire might not stop grinning for a while, either.

* * *

The party is in full swing, the cake having been cut and the speeches out of the way. Barry finally cried during Claire's speech, meaning she owes Moira 50 bucks. Which she's sure Moira will be more than happy to collect, once she's done doing what looks like the Charleston with Rebecca. Jill and Chris are also on the floor, and she's enjoying watching them move like a couple of middle schoolers at their first school dance from her table tucked away in a corner.

A familiar voice pulls her out of her reverie. "Hey."

She turns with a wide smile. "Hey yourself, Leon."

He pulls her into a tight hug. "How's my favorite Redfield doing?"

They haven't seen each other in a few years, and she always regrets the fact that they don't work for the same organization. She has no knowledge of his movement other than what he sends to her sporadically, or what Chris can tell her when he knows. Still, she still counts him as one of her closest friends, so they spend the next half hour catching up, as she shares the more recent cases she's had. He gives her an update about Sherry, since he's seen her most recently, and also gives her the run down of the New York outbreak.

"I knew Chris was giving me the rated-G version," Claire says. "He always thinks he needs to baby me."

"When you've got someone important to you, I guess you feel the need to protect them," he tells her.

She meets his gaze and loses herself for a second. She's just a hair shy of 35, but every time she sees him it's like a punch in the gut. No matter what she's 19 again, and he's dreamy with his blond hair and blue eyes. She's missed him.

"Tell me how you're really doing," she says abruptly. All of his stories always seem to center on what he's doing or he's done, not how he actually is.

He's clearly taken off guard. "I'm doing fine, Claire, I told you."

Chris's version of New York echos in her mind. "Well, that's not what I've heard."

"Oh yeah?" he asks, jaw setting. "And what've you heard?"

"I heard you've been having a rough time."

He huffs a laugh. "People love to talk."

But his eyes are telling her she's right. "Come on, Leon, it's only me."

"Wouldn't you like to talk about something nicer at your brother's wedding? Like, maybe the fact that your brother just got married? I know you know this, we were just there."

Part of her is saying she should stop pushing, but the larger part of her wonders if not her, who else can he tell? "Leon," she says softly.

He hums, regarding her for a moment. She holds his stare and makes note of all the differences she can see as she compares his face to the last time she saw him. The wrinkles around his eyes are more pronounced, and the lines around his mouth are hard. It seems like a lifetime ago they were young and full of energy, grinning at each other covered in layers of shit and blood.

A final sigh escapes him, before he tells her, "I'm thinking about retiring."

She pauses, readjusts her thoughts around this new information. "Okay."

The corner of his mouth quirks up. "That's all you have to say?"

"Well, no," she admits, "but I don't want to tell you how to live your life."

"You think it's a bad idea?"

"I think you should tell me more about your decision-making process first."

That gets a full smile out of him, even if it feels reluctant. "Losing all my squad was rough, as was coming to the realization this is an endless war. And I don't -," he exhales sharply, "I don't know if I've got it in me to keep fighting."

She nods, lets her eyes drift over to where Chris is spinning Jill around as she laughs and almost trips over her own feet. "Okay."

"Really, Claire?" he asks, mildly exasperated. 

"Yes, really." She smiles up at him. "I think you know yourself pretty well, Leon. If you think it's time to stop, it's time to stop."

His eyebrow quirks up. "Not something I'd expect a Redfield to say."

She laughs. "Maybe not, but it's certainly a Claire thing to say. No one can do this job forever, not even my brother."

"You might not want to tell him that."

"Oh, I think he knows," she grins, "deep down somewhere."

"Well, he did get his head out of his ass and tell Valentine how he felt, so maybe there's hope yet," he murmurs.

"Hope for us all," she agrees.

"Yeah, maybe," he tells her, looking back out at the dance floor as he takes a sip from his long-forgotten drink.

The thread of current conversation makes her remember something he said years and years ago.

"Hey, Leon."

"What?"

Maybe it's the slight buzz she's got from the champagne, or just the way he looks in his suit. She snatches his free hand off the table, and intertwines their fingers. "Do you think our timing is finally right?"

His eyes are almost as wide as saucers. That's the second time she's caught him off guard today, and she'd feel pretty proud if it weren't for the violent butterflies in her stomach, as she waits for him to respond.

"Claire -"

Except, it just occurs to her, that if this is a refusal, she doesn't want to hear it. "I mean, this is a pretty normal setting, right? A wedding? And we're stable now, not being chased by zombies or covered in shit."

"Still, I -"

Panic sets in. Maybe the rumors are true. "Unless you're still hung up on Ada Wong."

He stills instantly, a cool mask slipping into place. "Where'd you hear that?"

Fear grips her heart, and all she can think about is the woman she's only seen in photographs. The tall, slender, beautiful mercenary. "So it's true." She tries to take her hand from his, but he tightens his grip.

"I can't -," he sighs, "not here."

He grips her hand as he tugs her to the exit, wordless as he pushes her into the alley next to the bar.

"Leon, what -"

"Just, listen, okay?" He seems upset in a way she wasn't expecting, so she does. "I don't know what you heard about Ada, but I can guarantee you none of it's true. Do I have feelings for her? Yeah, maybe. Feelings in the way that sometimes I kind of want to say fuck it and run, but," he sighs and runs a hand through his hair, "I can't live in the gray area she operates in. So, whatever you're thinking about her and me, do me a favor and don't."

She meets his gaze straight on. "Okay."

He exhales and shoves his hands in his pockets, leaning against the brick wall. "Good."

She turns over what he's said, everything that she heard and also the things she didn't hear. "You never answered me."

There's a beat of silence before he says, "I thought I just did."

"Not about our timing you didn't."

She can see his jaw working before he says, "I don't think I'm any good for you."

A flash of anger goes through her. "That's bullshit."

"Is it?" He meets her eye and steps forward, crowding into her space. "I spent a good chunk of the last year getting drunk off my ass so I didn't have to face what I've done, what's happened to me, everything I've seen. I've killed people, Claire. Innocent, regular people. I have committed crimes for what I _thought_ was the greater good. I have nightmares almost every damn night about who I am as a person. You don't need that."

Her heart breaks for him, but the anger is still there. "And you, Leon Kennedy," she pokes his chest so he's back against the wall, "need to understand that you don't get to tell me what is or isn't right for me. Don't you think out of everyone, I would understand? That I would get it?"

There's a flash of remorse across his face. "Claire, I -"

But whatever he was going to say, she doesn't want to hear it. She yanks him down by the lapels of his suit and presses her lips to his, with just enough force to let him know she's serious. She might be getting her heart broken, but at least she'll have this kiss to soothe herself with.

She starts to pull back, mentally preparing herself for his response, only to have him push into her, to press her into the wall. His hand goes to her hair, threading through it to get a better angle, as he kisses her with a passion she wasn't expecting. There's a push and pull between them, a rhythm she can find easily. Everything else in the world melts away as he scrapes his teeth across her bottom lip, getting her to open her mouth with a gasp. His lips against hers are intoxicating, and she finds her knees giving out. He seems to know what she's thinking, because in the next breath he's scooping her up and helping her wrap her legs around him. She never wants this moment to end, even if the brick is rough against her back and they're in a somewhat public space.

He grinds into her just enough that her head is starting to feel light, so she pulls back a little for air. He tries to chase her mouth, which makes her laugh. "Leon."

He opens his eyes, pupils blown wide. After he manages to catch his breath, he says, "Sorry."

Fear grips her heart again. "For?"

"Not for what you think." He grins with swollen lips. "I'm sorry we're in public."

"Oh." She grins back, warmth flooding her. "Well, we won't be in public forever."

"No, I guess not." He pauses. "I should put you down, huh."

"Probably," she says, trying and failing to stifle the giggles that seem to be pouring out of her.

"Too bad," he murmurs, pressing a chaste kiss to her forehead as he puts her back on her feet.

Something about the sentiment warms her, and she can't help but straighten his tie and suit jacket. She thinks they're on the same page now, but it wouldn't hurt to double check. "So, feel better?"

He smooths her hair back, looking at her with a slight smile. "Claire, everything I'm worried about has nothing to do with how I feel about you. If you know my worries and are still willing to put up with my crap, well, I'm not stupid enough to fight a Redfield."

"Damn straight." She's still smiling as she pulls him back down for another kiss, but they make it work.

* * *

"Claire! Where've you been? We were looking for y-" Moira stops short as she notices Claire and Leon are holding hands.

"Were we gone long?" Claire asks, trying to get Leon to let go of her hand.

Unfortunately, Leon seems committed to holding it, and to continue smirking like the cat that got the cream. Moira looks from him to Claire and back a few times. "Um, sort of? It was only like 10 minutes I guess, so, long enough to notice you guys were gone but  _definitely_ not long enough for you guys to f-"

"Thank you, Moira, for finding Claire!" Chris cuts her off, probably unintentionally but definitely for the best, as he and Jill get closer. "We just wanted to say goodbye before we left."

Claire tries really hard to not look guilty as her older brother approaches. "Honeymooning already?"

"We're going to see if Disneyland really is the happiest place on Earth, right, Chris?" Jill tells them, either choosing not to or not actually noticing the fact that Claire and Leon probably both look very well-kissed.

Unfortunately, Chris definitely notices. Claire's heart races as her brother looks at her, frowning a little. "You guys," he gestures to their hands, which are still intertwined, "this is new right?"

"Um, yeah, yes, yeah," Claire nods, flexing her hand as Leon finally lets go, "like, 10 minutes ago new, yeah."

"Oh, great." Claire's eyebrows shoot towards her hairline as Chris continues, "I was afraid I'd been so out of it the past few weeks I missed something."

"Nope. Nuh-uh, you're on top of it, Redfield," Leon claps his shoulder. "Hey, congratulations. Enjoy Mickey."

Chris smiles down at Jill. "I'm positive we will. We'll see you guys in like four days."

Claire gives them both a hug and a kiss before she joins the small crowd gathered to see the newlywed couple off. Barry is tearing up again as Moira awkwardly pats him on the back, but most of the crowd is just happy to see them off and finally together.

"So," Leon clears his throat from beside her, "are you interested in, well, maybe, would you like to grab some post-wedding coffee?"

"Is that a thing?" she teases him, her hand finding his once more.

"It could be." He offers her a smile. "Normally I'd say a drink, but I'm trying to quit that. And, if I remember correctly, we've already had our first date."

She smiles back at him as Sherry's words come back to her. "Then yeah, coffee sounds perfect."

 


End file.
